why it is so important to check your electricity meter

[murdock]

i have a customer who has just found out that he is paying for the wrong electricity meter...wait for it for more than 7 years...YES 7 YEARS.

now here is the problem i think you can only claim 3 years back...his account per month more than R4000 per month which equals R336000.00 his account is suppose to be around R1000 per month so he as only suppose to pay R84000
which means he has overpaid R252000 on his electricity account...

but he can only claim for 3 years back which is less than half that amount...unfortunaltely for the person who has onlt been paying R1000 per month is in for a nasty suprise...because he is gona have to come up with the addtional money...this is gona be an interesting topic to watch.

so who do you blame because someone is responsible for this fiasco?

[murdock]

another scenerio...a customers meter stop registering about 2 years ago...the meter reader comes to site and takes a reading every 3 months...so the customer doesnt get a bill for 2 years because the meter reading doesnt think there is a building but the reading is the same...every month it is nil...eskom say it is their fault and they have used the electricity so they must pay...and the same customer had a new type meter fitted by an eskom contractor who connected it incorrectly so it has been reading less than it should have...so whos fault is it and who should pay the bill...eskom says its the customers problem and have estimated a half a million rand shortfall which the customer must pay because they say the electricity was used so they must pay even though eskoms meters are faulty ! and incorrectly connected!!eeeeshkom

but if they cost your company millions in downtime when they have power failures it not for thier account...talk about getting the short end of the stick...so long as we accept the treatment they will just keep dishing it out...imagine if this kind of thing happened in america...

[murdock]

now i have an issue with metro electricity...they send a contractor to disconnect my power today because we are having a dispute over a R12000 account...so the contractor arrives today and starts playing with the fuse on the pole on/off on/off on/off
so my deep freeze starts making a banging sound because he keeps pull the fuse then pushing it back in over and over...he has damaged my compressor in the deep freeze which will now need to be replaced...

i go to the elctricity department to find out what the %)^&)& is going on with my account...sit for over 2 hours in ques then i get a person who you can see is there just to pass time in the day...so i sat down and when i realised that he had no interest in my problem and had no idea what he was doing...when i requested a supervisor or management...you already know the answer...yip out to lunch 2 and half hours later still not back from lunch and the other off sick.

there is a big sign on the wall PLEASE REPORT BAD SERVICE...what a joke...as corruption and failing...low standards...crap workmanship...waiting in long ques has become a way of life in south africa i think its time i realise nothing is gona change and i need to through my shoes off and put my slops on and just dont give a damn about anything...get me some free electricity and figue out away to bypass my water meter jsu tto reduce so it stay below 30 Kl ...i have aready found a way to reduce my rates...i just hope all the truble i have gone to pays off...

[Dave A]

In your first two scenarios, it sounds like there's enough money involved to consider hiring a lawyer and litigating.

[murdock]

there are lawyers and private consultants involved...i just wanted to point out to people why it is so important to make sure their meter is reading correctly and that they are paying the right amount...because if not you will be responsible for the outstanding amounts regardless if it is metro or eskoms fault...either way you will be in for big bucks...be it lawyers fees or outstanding electricity bills.

from febuary next year( my companies 20 th birthday) i will be making some drastic changes and improvements to both my companies...watch this website for details...one of the improvements will be the meter checking service...i can do it already but only for my exsisting customers.

[tec0]

Right firstly: It is NOT your responsibility to ensure the functioning and correct reading of any meter. You are not allowed to do any maintenance on the meter simply because it can be considered as tampering. THE END...

I stand to be corrected but the municipality has exclusive access to the meters and is the only entity that is allowed to repair them, test them to ensure that they are in working order.

I do not have access to my meter because it is locked up by the municipality and only they have access to it. Thus if any false reading was made by the municipality it is the responsibility of the municipality to correct there mistake. Also it is fraud, plain and simple, I recommend a lawyer and a criminal case against the municipality, because they basically falsified the electric bill for the past 7 years.

It is all about proof: the person in question can proof that the municipality did nothing for the past 7 years to correct there mistake. IF this is indeed fact than it is no longer a mistake now is it... It is fraud because they continued to ask the wrong person to pay the bill.

**Edit**

Also you can proof that the municipality stands to retain substantial profits IF they are only to pay back less than half thus “the intention to profit from this so called mistake is clear”. It is from this perspective that one must consider charging them criminally for their actions. Because you can proof that they have made the mistake for the past 7 years and have indeed profited in those 7 years and are only willing to pay back less than half thus pointing to the willingness to profit from there so called mistake regardless.

I can tell you this, it will be interesting to see the outcome.

[murdock]

Right firstly: It is NOT your responsibility to ensure the functioning and correct reading of any meter. You are not allowed to do any maintenance on the meter simply because it can be considered as tampering. THE END...

I stand to be corrected but the municipality has exclusive access to the meters and is the only entity that is allowed to repair them, test them to ensure that they are in working order.

I do not have access to my meter because it is locked up by the municipality and only they have access to it. Thus if any false reading was made by the municipality it is the responsibility of the municipality to correct there mistake. Also it is fraud, plain and simple, I recommend a lawyer and a criminal case against the municipality, because they basically falsified the electric bill for the past 7 years.

It is all about proof: the person in question can proof that the municipality did nothing for the past 7 years to correct there mistake. IF this is indeed fact than it is no longer a mistake now is it... It is fraud because they continued to ask the wrong person to pay the bill.

**Edit**

Also you can proof that the municipality stands to retain substantial profits IF they are only to pay back less than half thus “the intention to profit from this so called mistake is clear”. It is from this perspective that one must consider charging them criminally for their actions. Because you can proof that they have made the mistake for the past 7 years and have indeed profited in those 7 years and are only willing to pay back less than half thus pointing to the willingness to profit from there so called mistake regardless.

I can tell you this, it will be interesting to see the outcome.

i wish it was that simple.

[tec0]

What is not simple about this case? You only to need research the facts and present them. See people always say “this is difficult and that is difficult... I have done so much knowing very little about laws and stuff.

Yes it is not easy getting those facts but R336000.00 is a reasonable incentive wouldn’t you agree?

Get the facts, and accumulate evidence and once you have done that and your lawyer tells you “right you have a case, more importantly a criminal case” Then you try and get a settlement amount and if no settlement can be reached, then you start proceedings.

Remember it is important for the case to be criminal in nature” Steeling is steeling in the end of the day. And someone must be held accountable...


Yes it will take time... AND yes, depending on the case dynamics it can be expensive and there are no guarantees but I personally would rather fight for that amount of money

[murdock]

when last did you go to municipality to sort out an issue with your account...besides the ques...i cant give the staff much credit.


trying to explain to the person that i cannot understand how my electricity account every month is lets just use 100 kw as a figue...then suddenly it jumps to 900 kw...you would think this was a simple...yet my electricity has been disconnected for 3 weeeks...i dont understand...i would have thought it was a simple answer...but not so lucky.

the same with my water...they disconnect my water for a week...the next account i get the useage is up 12 000 litres...how do explain that...what i did notice was there was a serious leak at the meter when they disconnected it...now you would thing this would be a simple to explain to the metro person but they want proof....mate you can stand on your head and jump up and down and they dont care...what they see on the errrr computor screeeen if what is de facts...you must pay and then send in a grievence.

[Dave A]

Actually, I wonder if it's just an eThwekwini thing. It definitely feels like they're playing a bit loose with the law. For example:

The municipality enters into a contract with a tenant to supply electricity. If the tenant doesn't pay, the next person trying to get electricity on that property, be it tenant, old owner, new owner isn't going to get it until that unpaid bill of the previous tenant is paid.

It just seems contrary to contract law.

[tec0]

Well if the municipality is above the law then surly they can do whatever they want. See right now our government doesn’t really care if someone was overcharged. The pure lack of service is a real factor.

So start complaining in the newspapers and on television even radio. If that doesn’t work then you’re only alternative would be a summons. And if the charges are criminal in nature and mister or misses manager doesn’t show up the court can legally arrest them detain them and keep them in prison for the duration of the tribunal.

So your job as a South African citizen is to report crime it is required by law that you must report a crime fact is you are legally obligated to do so. It comes down to pure will power and determination.

I stand to be corrected on this but as far as I know if a case is criminal in nature then government will pursue the case in question on your behalf thus you don’t pay anything. I don’t know if this is true or not but your lawyer will know so ask him/her for advice.

[murdock]

teco when last did you spend some time in a south african court?

i dont see...hear or speak of any evil...i dont have the patients to waste time going to court anymore....after the last case i promised the procecutor that he would never see me as a witness in court ever in my life time...the security gaurd who was beating the robber with a shambok in one hand and a loaded firearm in his hand and discharged it in public...the bullet missed me by about 30 cm...after 6 visists to court as a witness for the case...which i arrived on time waited for 3 - 5 hours on each occassion to be told that the case had been moved forward a couple months...on the 7 th occassion i didnt bother going to court and my luck yes they decided to go ahead with it...so at 1300 that day i got a call asking where i was...and why i wasnt at court...i told them to go fly a kite...so they issued a warrent for my arrest for contemptive court...i was taken to court...the case was thrown out of court...never again.

[tec0]

Well it is as it stands. See people know the court system is not working but nobody has the balls to protest it. So live with it. But when you are wronged and the law system is crappy don’t cry about it because you and everyone else that couldn’t have been bothered to change it, didn’t change it.

See people want to get angry if someone is murdered, or when the court makes a wrong decision but nobody will take the time to try and change it.

It is too much work to appeal to the lawmakers, it takes too much time to go to the newspapers in masses and demand change. If it is not easy then people don’t do it.

All I say is: this is your world you and others with the same attitude made it so now live in it...

Please don’t misunderstand me I mean no disrespect. I do understand your frustration. But if everyone in South Africa demands that the court-system must change then it WILL change. Change is possible but the question is; how badly do people want it?

[murdock]

you right...i just couldnt be bothered anymore...like the crime the electrical industry etc...i cant see it getting any better anytime soon.